Last time I went by here I couldn’t see the pylon for the Whitman. I know it’s become obscured by trees. I was driving on the opposite end of 110, so I couldn’t really look close enough without causing an accident!

SEPT. 2007—— UPDATE: the building is gutted! They are putting a Cheese Cake Factory there—-YET the pylon for the Whitman theater STILL STANDS tall & proud! LOL. Someone go and take it down as a keepsake!

The first movie I saw at Whitman, was “The Jungle Book” when it was new. We did not go there often, but I remember every movie I had seen there. A friend of mine worked there in 1978/79. Saw “Animal House” for free, as well as a re-release of “American Graffiti” . This was shortly before Whitman went “grind house” (SEE my above history and ads!). For some reason , “Dressed to Kill” sticks out in my mind the most, out of any movies I had seen at the Whitman.

Thanks BobT! YES; I would haved loved to have seen that double bill there! I have the newspaper ad for it (in bad shape). Better yet, I would have loved to seen that double bill there, then next door to Cooky’s Steak Pub for surf'n turf! I think that was my all time favorite Long Island restaurant. Also, remember the HUGE birdcage in the Walt Whitman mall, filled with parrots? Also, what’s a “nabe”—where did that term come from?

In the good old days before a picture opened on 4000 screens, some movies only had a handful of prints and they would literally moveover from town to town. Or if a theater had to give up a picture because of a booking, a neighboring theater would take the print. I saw a double feature at The Whitman that you would have loved Bloop, “Ssssss” & “The Boy Who Cried Werewolf”.

Another GREAT Whitman double bill from 1973, that I was dropped off at by my parents (thank you, Mom & Dad!). Even though I missed out on the day my brother & his friends got to go see “The Neptune Factor” at the Whitman that same year, (LOL!), I got to see this:View link

I was from East Northport—graduated from Northport High in 1980. I have no clue why I took a job in Huntington (with no car!). I hated Pergaments, but I loved working in that area; especially with Korvettes, Cooky’s Steak Pub and the Whitman theater , which actually seemed “very 1960’s” in the 70’s! The Walt Whitman mall was very cool back then (it SUCKS NOW as it’s geared towards affluent women with nothing to do but shop all day and carry around those little glittery gift bags with colored tissue paper wafting out of the tops. Also, the SPEED BUMPS they put in are MURDER if you have a small older car that’s not a Hummer). So it goes; money rules—and who would have thought the “future” would have turned out like this? I’m glad I was born in such a uniqiue and un-calculated era as the 1960’s/1970’s.

Attention Souvenir Hunters: the Whitman Theater sign is STILL STANDING in front of Citi Bank on Route 110 (as of today: June 25th, 2007). If this was an important theater to you, go steal a piece of the sign if it’s possible. You’ll need a small step ladder to reach it. If the cops stop you, what are they gonna say? “You’re vandalizing property that has been vacant for YEARS”.